


Escape the Night: The Masquerade Part 1

by Dede42



Series: Escape the Night Season 2 [2]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: Clues, F/M, M/M, Masquerade Ball, Murder Mystery, Novelization, Psychological Trauma, Trauma, Vampires, Victorian, carriages, mansion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-20 00:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20666300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dede42/pseuds/Dede42
Summary: It'd been a year since the 1920s incident, and Joey Graceffa has gone missing! When Dawn Hatcher and eleven YouTubers get invites from Joey a month later for a masquerade ball, she goes with the intent of finding Joey and making sure that there isn't a repeat of last year. Can she save Joey and get everyone home?





	1. PROLOGUE: JOEY IS MISSING!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time for the first episode of the second season and if you've read the pre-season 2 story, then you already have an good idea of what to expect. If you haven't, then please read it first. Onward!

**PROLOGUE: JOEY IS MISSING!**

*****

It’d been a year since the 1920s house incident and the families of the victims held a memorial service to remember the lives of those who’d died that night, and even though it meant the risk of opening old wounds, Joey Graceffa, Dawn Hatcher, Eva Gutowski, and Oli White all attended the service with their own families and friends.

Although it’d been hard for them to look at the photos of their late friends, in some way, it also helped since it meant that they were all finally starting to heal from the trauma and the guilt of what they had had to do in order to seal away the evil of the house and stop Arthur, who’d been using them the whole time.

Not that anyone outside of the four survivors and the Society Against Evil knew that, the rest of the world believed the cover story that the Society had provided to explain away why a group of YouTubers and a single actress had gone missing for three months, and as far as Joey, Dawn, Eva, and Oli were concerned, that was the story they were going to stick with and be done with it.

Of course, this didn’t stop newspaper reporter and blogger, Jermaine Whitehouse, from pestering them about the whole thing, and when he started asking demanding questions about the Society Against Evil itself, they all had once again threaten to sue if he didn’t back off. In the end, it took the threat of a restraining order to get him to back off for the time being.

*****

Five weeks after the anniversary of that long night, Joey was in his and Daniel’s bedroom of their house, getting ready to meet up with Dawn for lunch, and he was looking forward to seeing her again since she’d been out of town working on various acting projects. He was also eager to share with her something that he’d been keeping to himself. Something that he hadn’t even shared with Daniel either, and he wished he had shared this with both of them sooner since he knew that they both cared about him deeply.

_‘I should’ve told Dawn and Daniel right away,’ _he thought, glancing at his reflection in the mirror and made mental note to get his hair bleached and styled since it was more brown and curly then he really liked it, _‘but I didn’t, and if what I’ve been feeling lately is a sign, it was a _serious _mistake on my part.’ _For the past month, he’d been having unsettling dreams and feeling ill at the oddest of times, and only when he was alone.

Joey _had _intended to tell Daniel, but his boyfriend had been called away for a big dog event in San Diego, having taken their three huskies, Wolf, Storm, and their new puppy, Lark, with him, and so he planned on telling him when he got back next week. Unless Dawn could help him first.

Joey hadn’t been sure of what was causing it at first, but he now suspected that it had to do with the deed to the 1920s house that he’d chosen to take with him to keep it from falling into the hands of others who could’ve been harmed by the evil, and yet he didn’t even have the deed since the Society Against Evil had managed to get from him when they took the dinner coat.

He’d been reluctant to let them have his coat and the deed, but after talking with James McCoy, one of the leaders of the Society, in private, he figured that they could put it somewhere safer then he could, and he’d pushed it out of his mind for close to a year.

But now, Joey was starting to wonder if some of the evil had been on the deed itself, and that it had somehow infected him. He hoped not since that might mean going through hell again, and he hoped that Dawn could help him figure this out before it go worst.

*****

Joey headed downstairs and toward the front door when there was a stabbing pain in his stomach and he doubled over, clutching at the hallway table that was directly under a mirror. “Ngh!” he groaned, panting as the pain started to fade and when he straightened up, he gasped when he saw his reflection in the mirror: his eyes were pitch black instead of blue, and black veins were running from his eyes and over his face.

“No,” Joey whispered and quickly took out his cellphone, speed dialing a certain number. “Please answer, please answer, please- Ugh!” He groaned again when the pain started up in his stomach for a second time, almost as if the Darkness knew who he was trying to call, and it was trying to stop him. “No, no, I _won’t _give in!”

_`“Joey?”`_

Hearing the voice of his best friend, Joey tried to speak as the Darkness kept trying to overwhelm him. “Dawn! Dawn, I – I need your – I need your help!” he gasped, feeling the Darkness moving through his body like a poison.

_`“Joey what is it?”` _Dawn asked, her voice filing with concern. _`“Joey? What’s going on? Talk to me!”`_

“The – the d – the Dark-” Joey tried to get the words out, but then he was completely overwhelmed by the Darkness and he blacked out instead, collapsing to the floor.

_`“Joey? Joey can you hear me? Joey!”`_

*****

Dawn drove her car through the residential areas of L.A., being mindful of the speed limit, but she was determined to get to her friend and help him. _‘Hang in there, Joey,’ _she thought, using shortcuts to get to his house that much faster. _‘I’m coming!’_

She’d been confused by his phone call, but hearing the fear and pain in his voice, she’d guessed that something dark was harming him, and while she wasn’t sure of how she could help him, she wasn’t about to let her best friend be taken by evil again.

*****

Pulling into the driveway of the house and making sure to turn off the engine, Dawn got out and hurried to the front door, knocking on it while trying to peer through the side windows first. “Joey? Joey can you hear me?” she asked, knocking again. “It’s me, it’s Dawn. Can you hear me?”

Not getting any answers and fearing the worst, Dawn took out a key, which Joey and Daniel had given to her in case of an emergency, and unlocked the front door, entering the house.

*****

Locking the door behind her and pocketing the key, Dawn looked around the front hall and saw a cellphone lying on the floor.

_‘That’s Joey’s phone,’ _she thought, hurrying over to it and picked it up, her heart pounding in her chest as she held it close. _‘If his phone is here, does that mean?’ _She pushed the thought from her mind and set the cellphone on the table. No, she wasn’t going to go down that path until she knew for _sure _that something had happen to her friend, and she began searching the house, calling out Joey’s name.

*****

Outside, three black SUVs with an odd gold symbol on the doors pulled up in front of the house, and men dressed in dark clothing got out. Once they were all assembled, they headed to the front door, where one of them used a special key to unlock it, and they entered the house silently.

*****

Unaware that there were now others in the house, Dawn was upstairs, searching the rooms for her missing friend, and she entered his and Daniel’s bedroom, looking for some clue of what had happen to him.

“Come on, Joey,” she muttered, looking around and found his photo album lying open on the bed, and she chuckled when she saw that it was opened to the page that had photos of him, Daniel, and her at Disneyland three months before all hell had broken loose. “Joey, you, Daniel, and I need to head back there some time to update those photos.”

Dawn turned to the desk and saw that the laptop was in sleep mode, but it was also open. She went over to it, ran her finger along the mousepad, waking the screen up, and she found an open document that was a part of Joey’s personal journal. Although she knew better then to read someone else’s private thoughts, she hoped that this would give her some clue of what was going on, and whether the evil they fought against last year had something to do with him not being in his own home and the strange phone call.

Dawn read the latest entry and her heart dropped like a rock into her stomach. “Oh my gosh,” she whispered. “Joey, you _freaking _idiot. Why couldn’t you have left the deed at the house?” She felt like kicking herself for not figuring out why Joey had been so reluctant to hand over the dinner coat to the Society Against Evil that day, and why he’d been eager to have it back.

_‘He had the deed in the coat, which ended up in the hands of the Society,’ _she thought. _‘But there must’ve been some Darkness on it, and it ended up tainting him. And if that Darkness has been growing in him this whole time-’ _She didn’t even finish the thought, and she knew that she didn’t have to either. She was going to figure out where the Darkness had taken her friend, and she was going to save him.

Dawn turned to the doorway and froze when she heard a faint creaking of floorboards. She wasn’t alone! Thinking quickly, she quietly hurried over to the closet and duck inside, sliding the door so that there was only a small crack that she could see through, and no sooner had she done this when a man in dark clothing entered the bedroom.

She wasn’t sure if this was someone she could trust or if this man had something to do with Joey’s disappearance, but either way, she wasn’t about to let him know that she was there, and there was also the possibility that he wasn’t the only one in the house. Luckily, she knew of a secret way of getting out, and the small door in the back of the closet was her way out.

Moving as quietly as possible the moment the man was looking at the computer and not at the closet, Dawn slid over to the small door and opened it, glad that both Joey and Daniel had made sure to have the hinges oiled regularly, and she snuck through it, entering the closet of the spare room next door.

*****

Shutting the door behind her, Dawn peered out to make sure that there wasn’t anyone in the room before sliding the closest door aside and she exited the closet. She tiptoed over to the door and open it just enough so that she could peer into the hallway.

_‘No one’s out there, good,’ _she thought when she felt a hand touch her shoulder and she immediately reacted by slamming her trainer into the knee of the man that’d been hiding on the other side of the bed where she hadn’t seen him. He cried out as he dropped, especially after she jabbed her elbow into his chest, and as he fell to the floor, a white cloth fluttered out of his hand.

Dawn bolted out of the bedroom, ducking when another man tried to grab her, and she kicked his legs out from underneath him. She ran for the stairs, grateful that she hadn’t forgotten any of the karate she’d learned during her years doing _Power Rangers_, and because of this, she avoided more attempts by the dark-clothed men to capture her.

The brunette was almost to the stairs when one of the men managed to grab her, wrapping an arm around her throat, and she clawed at his arm, kicking and screaming as she struggled to get free. “No! Let me go! No!” she screamed and she stomped on his foot, elbowing him in his stomach and chest, doing everything she could to get free, but he was definitely stronger then she was.

Keeping a firm grip on the girl’s throat without harming her, the man ignored her attempts to break free as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and extracted a capped syringe. He wasn’t surprised when Dawn’s struggles increased when she caught sight of what was in his hand, and he removed the cap with his teeth before injecting some of the clear contents of the syringe into her neck.

“No! Don’t do it!” Dawn pleaded when she saw the syringe. “Not again! No!” But she could feel the sting of the needle, which made her gasp in pain, as it entered the vein in her neck, and the second that the sedative hit her bloodstream, she could feel herself growing sleepy. “Not again…” she moaned before falling unconscious and her whole body went limp.

“She’s a fighter this one,” one of the men, who’d been punched by the actress, commented as he picked himself up. “No wonder she has the Light inside her.”

The man that was still holding the sleeping girl, nodded as he recapped the syringe and put it back in his pocket. “Yeah, go check on the others and search the house while I get her out to the car,” he instructed while repositioning her in his arms so that he could carry her better, and her head was now resting on his shoulder.

He then carried her down the stairs and out of the house while his men searched the place for the missing owner.

*****

He carried Dawn to one of the SUVs and loaded her into the backseat. He removed from her pockets her cellphone and her car keys, and he was strapping her in when his men came out with reports that there was no sign of Joey. They had found traces of Darkness throughout the whole house, along with Dark magic, and they all knew that meant that the Darkness had overwhelmed Joey Graceffa and had taken him somewhere else.

But the question was where?

*****

Dawn wasn’t sure of how long she’d been unconscious, only that when she started to wake up, she knew that she was lying on something soft and comfortable, and her head was pounding something fierce. She let out a groan as her eyes flickered open, squinting at the sunlight that was coming through a large bay window, and she gingerly sat up, finding that she’d been lying on a couch.

“My head,” Dawn groaned, swinging her legs so that her feet were on the floor, but she didn’t get off the couch, for she was certain that if she’d tried to stand up, her head was going to fall off, and she pressed a hand to her aching forehead. “Ow.”

“Drink this,” a familiar male voice requested and a familiar hand set a steaming cup of tea on the small table in front of her. “It’ll help with the headache, which is an unfortunately side effect of the sedative you were given, Ms. Hatcher.”

_‘I probably shouldn’t,’ _Dawn thought as she picked up the cup and blew on it a little before taking a cautious sip, _‘but if I’m where I think I am, then they wouldn’t drug me again so soon after letting me wake up.’ _She made a face at the taste of the strong tea and coughed a little as it ran down her throat, but her headache was fading. She managed to finish the tea off and set the cup back on the table before finally looking at James McCoy, who was seated across from her in an armchair with his own cup of tea.

It was a different study from the one she’d been in with her friends last year, but it was clear that it was another safe house for the Society Against Evil, and she was already feeling pissed at them for letting Joey be taken by the Darkness and kidnapping her. “Was kidnapping me and sedating me _really _nessecary, Mr. McCoy?” she asked angrily.

“It was an unfortunate decision, Dawn, and I do apologize,” said James with honest regret. “Given how you and Joey acted when we last meet, I wasn’t sure if you would be willing to come see me since the events of last year.”

“Well, seeing how Joey and I had just attended the funeral for a _friend _when you showed up, how _would _you have reacted if you’ve been in our shoes?” Dawn inquired, her eyes flashing with anger.

“I would’ve acted the same way,” James agreed, sipping his tea before setting it aside. “Still, I am sorry for your recent treatment,” he added. “I take it that you were at Joey’s house trying to find him?”

Dawn nodded. “Yes, he called me and while not a lot of what made sense, he sounded like he was in pain, and he tried to tell me that he was being overwhelmed by Darkness,” she replied and shared with him about the journal entry she’d been reading before his men had grabbed her. “Joey _never _should’ve taken the deed from that blasted house, but he did.”

“I know,” James agreed, sighing. “And I can assure you that the deed has been locked away so that the evil tainting it can’t harm anyone else, but I can’t say the same for Joey.”

“Where did the Darkness take Joey and why now?” she wondered, worried for the wellbeing of her best friend. “It’s been a year, _why _did it have to happen now?”

James sighed again and did his best to explain. “Darkness, like any form of energy or even magic, can take time to grow,” he told her, “and why it took as long as it did to grow inside Joey, it may have something to do with his exposure to an outside force that was pure and good.”

“You mean, like some kind of spiritual force?” Dawn guessed and something clicked in her mind. “Something like a Light?”

“In a way, yes,” James answered, suspecting that he already knew what she was going to ask next.

“And if there is such a Light, could it be inside me?” she asked, and when the man shrugged, she sighed. “Seriously? You’re gonna pull a Gandalf at a time like this? Joey is _missing! _And if there is something inside me that can help, I need to know what it is!”

“And I do wish that I could give you the answers that you crave, Dawn,” James said regretfully. “But there are some things that you need to discover on your own, but I can promise you that when you do figure it out, you will have the full support of the Society Against Evil.” He then handed her a cellphone that she recognized as her own and her car keys. “Now, since it’s possible that Joey will try to reach out to you, wherever it is that the Darkness has taken him since my men couldn’t find any trace of him in the house, and when he does, there is a number that I put in your phone so that you can call us the moment you know where he is. Do that, and we can give whatever help is possible.”

Dawn stared at her cellphone, feeling conflicted in more ways then one, and yet she knew that if the Society Against Evil could help her save her friend, then she was going to have to take a leap of faith. “All right,” she agreed, looking at the man. “Once Joey reaches out to me, I will call you to let you know where, and hopefully there won’t be a repeat of last year.”

“I hope that there isn’t a repeat either.”

*****

Joey stumbled through a dark forest filled with fog and clutching a lit lantern in one hand, unaware that a purple portal had just shut behind him. He wasn’t sure of where he was or even how he ended up there. Also, he was wondering why he was wearing a long-sleeved beige shirt with a ruffle neck, covered by a beige colored silk vest, beige pants, knee-high black boots, and a long dark blue velvet coat with gold buttons and a gold brooch with a small ruby in the center.

It also wasn’t helping matters that his head kept feeling like it was going to split in two either. _‘Where am I?’ _he wondered, stumbling over rocks and tree roots toward an unknown destination. He stopped at one point when the pain in his head increased so that he pressed a hand to it, unaware that black veins were growing across his face, down his neck, and over his arms and hands. _‘And why am I in so much _freaking _pain?!’ _All he knew for certain, was that there was something _seriously _wrong with him, and he needed help.

*****

Joey kept moving through the fog until a massive building rose out of the darkness before him, and for a brief moment after climbing a circular flight of steps to reach the wrap around porch, he thought he was back at the 1920s house, having been lured back somehow. But when he looked up at it, he saw that it was _much _bigger and it was Victorian.

He was surprised when the door in front of him opened on its own, and he felt drawn to go inside, which he did, finding himself in a wide white foyer with a black/white checkered floor and a circular staircase going upward. He looked back when the door shut behind him, and he was wondering why he was there when-

“Gah!” Joey cried out when there was a stabbing pain in his stomach and he dropped to his knees, the lantern shattering and going out the second it hit the floor, but he didn’t even notice. He was in too much pain as the Darkness forced its’ way through his body. Gasping in pain, he clawed at his own face that was now covered with glowing red lines, trying to get it out, and then he threw his head back, screaming as the Darkness erupted out of his mouth like a demon being exorcised.

Finally free, Joey fell backwards onto the cold floor, unconscious.

The Darkness flew through the air in a circle near a statue of a stone angel with cupped hands before going back down, flowing across the floor and into the base of a tall wooden staff, where it was absorbed into a purple crystal embedded in the top. The owner of the staff was a tall woman with her long blonde hair done up in a heart-shaped bun with diamonds in it, her blue eyes were outlined in thick black makeup, and her lips were red. She was wearing a long black dress with dark feathers sticking out of the collar, the bodice had a very low cut that reached her belly, and the black skirt was opened in the front, revealing her thigh-high black boots. She also wore gold jewelry on her neck and on the hand that was grasping the staff.

She smiled evilly at the crystal as it glowed briefly. After over a _century_, she finally had what she needed to finish what she’d started so long ago. _‘Thank you, Joey,’ _she thought, going over to his unconscious form and ran a long fingernail along one side of his face. _‘Thank you for brining the Darkness to me.’ _She knew that she needed more then just the Darkness for her plan to succeed, but she was now one step closer thanks to this young man, and she was certain that she could get the rest that she needed from him too.

She looked up as two robed men entered the foyer. “Take him to the study,” she ordered. “There is much to do.” And she beamed as her followers lifted Joey off the floor and carried him away. _‘Yes, there is _much _to do, and now, you _will _help me accomplish what I should’ve accomplished so _long _ago.’_

*****

Joey wasn’t sure of how long he was asleep, but when he did wake up, he found himself lying on a lounge chair in what was clearly a study of some kind, and for a brief moment he hopefully thought that he was in one of the safe houses of the Society Against Evil and they had managed to rescue him from the Victorian house.

But that hope was dashed when he couldn’t find their symbol anywhere that he could see, and when he tried to sit up, he found that he couldn’t move. _‘What the _hell_?!’_

“Hello, Joey, good to see that you are finally awake.”

Joey blinked as the tall blonde woman stepped into view with her staff in one hand, and he was immediately reminded of Maleficent. “Who-?” he began to ask, but he started coughing instead since his throat was very dry, and he probably would’ve fallen off the lounge chair if he wasn’t already magically stuck to it, and probably by this strange woman.

The woman stepped forward and picked up a silver goblet off a nearby table, which she then pressed to his lips, coaxing them open until some of the cold water could pass them, and she smirked as he gulped it down. “There, now that should feel better.”

Joey did cough a little, but it wasn’t as bad, and his throat wasn’t as dry as before. “Who are you?” he asked, wishing that he could move. “Where am I and how do you know my name?”

The woman laughed, setting aside the goblet. “Oh, _so _many questions,” she mocked. “I know _all _about you, Joey Graceffa, and I know all about the evil that you and your friends fought against last year.” She smirked at his alarmed expression. “That _fool _Arthur thought he could use you all as pawns to get what he wanted, and even the fools of the Society Against Evil used you all as well in their _pathetic _little war.”

“What do you want with me?” Joey demanded since it was clear that she wasn’t going to tell him where he was or even who _she _was. “Why bring me to wherever here is?”

The woman chuckled and circled the lounge chair, making a point of crossing behind a crystal ball that was resting on a gold stand so that he was aware of it, and when she was standing by his head, she played with his curls and laughed when he tried to pull away, but her spell wouldn’t let him. “I needed the Darkness that had crept into your soul, Joey,” she informed him, enjoying his fear, “and I still need _more _from you now that I have every _single _delicious drop of that Darkness for my plan.”

“What plan?” Joey asked, wishing that this evil woman would quit playing with his hair, but he couldn’t move out of her reach, and knowing that there had been Darkness inside him, this reminded him of what he’d forgotten. _‘I _never _should have taken that dammed deed from that cursed house. I should’ve left it there.’_

“All in good time, Joey,” the evil woman promised as she stopped playing with his hair, “all in good time.” She then bent down and grasped his chin in her hand, forcing him to look at the crystal ball. “Now, I need you to look into the crystal and think of your friends – the ones that are still living,” she ordered as purple magic flowed from her hand and into his face.

“_No_,” Joey moaned, trying to not think of the friends that were still alive back in the modern world, but he could feel her magic wiggling its’ way into the memories of his mind, and faces of people he knew began to appear in the crystal ball that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from. “Please…don’t…”

The woman, however, was pleased as the images of different young people flickered across the surface of the crystal ball, images that included both Eva and Oli, who she knew had escaped the house, and she figured that she could still use them. And then the image of a young woman with short curly brunette hair and blue eyes appeared in the crystal ball.

“_No!_” Joey shouted, managing to yank his chin out of her grip and shut his eyes tightly, cutting off the image of his best friend. “I won’t let you hurt her or any of them! I won’t!” He could feel tears leaking out from under his eyelids, but he wasn’t going to let her access his mind anymore. He wasn’t!

The woman laughed, impressed that he was able to break free of her little spell, and yet she had managed to get what she needed. She gently placed her hand on the top of Joey’s head and it glowed purple. “Sleep,” she said softly, compelling him to slip into a deep sleep. “Sleep.”

Once he was asleep, she gently stroked his face and returned her attention to the crystal ball, moving over to it, and summoning the images of eleven people, plus the images of Eva and Oli. “Yes,” she whispered, memorizing the names that she’d extracted from Joey’s mind despite his resistance, “they will do _very _nicely.” She then summoned the image of Dawn. “As will _you, _Light-bearer. Joey thought he could shield you from me, but he failed.”

_‘Yes, yes, this Light-bearer will be _very _helpful whether she wants to be or not.’ _Thrilled that she had another piece of what she needed for her plans, she turned to the sleeping young man, and used her magic on him once again. “Awake,” she commanded and Joey opened his eyes, but they were unfocused, for she had him _fully _under her spell. “Rise.”

His face devoid of emotion, Joey got up and stood next to the lounge chair, slowly blinking, and when she commanded that he go to the desk, he did so, seating himself behind it. She moved to the other side of the desk so that she was could be seen by him, and she issued her next instruction. “Begin writing letters to the following people, and invite them here. And here is what they are to say…”

Following her commands, Joey picked up the quill and he began writing on the paper before him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a way to start the story, huh? Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	2. CHAPTER ONE: NEW INVITES

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> As promised, here is the first chapter for Episode 1 of Season 2, and it's time to see who will be invited to attend the masquerade ball. Onward!

**CHAPTER ONE: NEW INVITES**

*****

_`“__Has anyone talked to Joey Graceffa recently?”` _a YouTuber named Tyler Oakley asked by way of a video that he’d just uploaded onto YouTube a few minutes ago, and was already getting a large number of views._`“I feel like he has been missing in action. And he's not returning my texts…he's not returning my calls…has _anybody _seen him__?”`_

That was one of _many _videos that’d been popping up on YouTube for the past month since Joey had gone missing, and Dawn was wishing with all her heart that she could find her missing friend. It was becoming increasingly hard to focus on her acting job and while she knew that her employers were very understanding about her being worried about Joey, she knew that they would probably cut their losses if she didn’t get her act together soon.

It also didn’t help that Jermaine was pestering her, Oli, Eva, and even Daniel about what had happen to Joey, and whether it had _anything _to do with what happen last year. Once again, it’d taken Dawn threatening a restraining order against the reporter, especially after he tried to sneak into the studios of the CW in order to question her, and it was only then that he backed off.

She knew Daniel was worried about Joey, too, given that he’d been making a point of checking on her to make sure she was ok a few times each day, sometimes bringing Wolf, Storm, and Lark with him, and that generally resulted in the black/white husky knocking her to floor in order to lie on her chest and lick her face while the white husky would lie on her stomach, and the black/white female husky would lie on her legs. She was pretty sure that Wolf and Storm had taught Lark how to pounce on her like that. The brunette would jokingly protest, but she did tend to feel better after one of their visits, and she knew that Daniel wasn’t blaming her for whatever it was that’d made Joey disappear.

_‘Where _are _you, Joey?’ _Dawn wondered as she paced around her living room for the millionth time, or was the billionth time? She’d lost count, and that had her even more stressed if she couldn’t keep track of her own thoughts anymore. She started when there was a knock on the front door and she hurried to it.

Peering through the peek hole, Dawn saw that there was a dark-haired woman standing on the front porch, wearing a black Victorian outfit, and carrying a package under one arm. Although suspicious, she unlocked and opened the door. “Yes?” she asked hesitantly.

The woman handed her a white envelope and the package. “Your presence is most urgently requested.” She then turned and walked away, disappearing around the corner.

Dawn stared after her and then looked down at the envelope that had her name written across it in a fancy handwriting that was oddly familiar. _‘I wonder.’ _She stepped back inside and locked the door.

*****

Dawn carried the package into her study, set it next to her laptop, and she sat down in the chair to examine the envelope. Finding no postage on it to indicate where it was from, she finally opened it, and took out a folded letter.

She unfolded the letter and her heart leapt into her throat when she recognized the handwriting. _‘Joey!’ _Swallowing, she began reading the letter eagerly.

_My friends,_

_I've been away for _far _too long__.__I want to invite you to a masquerade ball at an estate like no other. I'll explain everything after you arrive. To attend, you must assume a persona reminiscent of the Victorian Era, and be dressed accordingly, or the carriage, which can bring you across time, will remain invisible to your eyes._

_A package will accompany your invitation with the proper attire, which may contain a useful object._

_There will be people and creatures unique to the estate that know their place, whom you will interact with. You, however, will have no knowledge of what is to come. You will be a newborn babe in this exciting, and sometimes frightening, place._

_Your friend,_

_Joey Graceffa._

Dawn finished reading the letter and she knew without a doubt that she was going to go to this ball and save Joey. Yes, the handwriting and the language of the letter was his, but after all her time acting in shows and movies, she knew how to tell the difference between a letter written by someone who was in control of themselves and a letter of someone who wasn’t.

_‘Someone is using you to invite people to this ball, Joey,’ _she thought, putting it down and was reaching for the package when her laptop beeped, startling her, and she saw that her video chat icon was jumping. She clicked on it and two windows opened to reveal Eva and Oli, and both were looking frantic. “Uh oh, why do I have a feeling you guys just got something bad in the mail?” she asked.

_`“Dawn, _please _tell us that you _didn’t _get an invite from Joey about some kind of Victorian Ball,”` _Oli pleaded, having ripped up the invitation, and had thrown the package out the nearest open window without even opening it.

When the brunette flushed, Eva was upset with her. _`“Dawn, whatever you do, _don’t _go to that party!”` _she snapped, having burnt the invite and tossed the unopened package into the trash. _`“After what happen last year, it’s a _bad, bad _idea!”`_

Dawn let Eva and Oli both vent about why she shouldn’t go to the party mentioned in the invitation, and when they were done, she spoke in a serious tone that she hoped would get through to them. “Listen, I understand where you’re both are coming from,” she agreed. “My mind is telling me not to go, _but _my heart and soul are telling me that I _should _go, and save Joey.”

_`“We know that,”` _said Oli,_`“but, don’t forget that last time, _ten _people died at that party, who knows how many will die at this one?”`_

“It _is _a risk,” Dawn agreed. “But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t at least _try_. Joey has been missing for a _month_, and right now, this invite is the _only _clue I have of where to find him. I can’t leave him with whatever is using him. I _won’t._” And she banged her right fist on the desk. “Ow! Dang it!”

_`“That looks like it hurt,”` _Eva remarked, not used to seeing the actress lose it like that, not even last year at the cursed house.

Dawn nodded, grimacing. “Yeah, it did,” she said, rubbing her sore hand and she paused, staring at it. “Uh…”

_`“What is it?”` _both Eva and Oli asked, and their jaws dropped when their friend held up her right hand, which was now glowing white.

_`“Bloody hell!”`_

Dawn stared at her glowing hand with wide eyes, agreeing with Oli’s reaction. “Yeah, it’s _glowing._” _‘Could this have something to do with the Light that’s suppose to be inside me?’ _she wondered as the glow lasted for several seconds before fading. “Ok, that was spooky.” She then pulled herself together, deciding to worry about it later. “Listen, if you two decide not to go, that’s fine, but I’m going and I’m not changing my mind.”

Accepting the fact that Dawn was going to go no matter what they had to say, both Eva and Oli wished her luck and to be careful before logging off.

Closing the two windows, Dawn turned her attention to the package and opened it to find inside both an outfit and a note that said that she would be “The Detective”. _‘From hostess to detective,’ _she thought, holding up the sleeveless red dress that had a short skirt, a pair of knee-high black strapped boots with small heels, and with it was a black coat with ten silver buttons on the front and a red bow for the neck.

_‘This certainly screams steampunk to me,’ _she thought and tried it on, finding that it was a perfect fit. _‘I don’t know _who _is making you do this, Joey, but they do have style, that’s for sure.’ _She then made arrangements with family and friends before she called the Society Against Evil on the number she’d been given to let them know. _‘And hopefully they can do more to get us out of there before all hell breaks loose…_again_.’_

*****

The following people also received the same invitations and similar packages: DeStorm Powers, Gabbie Hanna, Liza Koshy, Jesse Wellens, Tana Mongeau, Alex Wassabi, Lauren Riihimaki, Tyler Oakley, Artie Goldsmith, Ernie Goldsmith (Artie’s twin brother), and Andrea Russett. They had each gotten personas to portray at the party, and they all did their research on the personas so that they could play them to the best to their abilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, the gothic Girl Scouts are sending out the invites and the packages. Yeah, when DeStorm said that the woman who delivered the invite and package to him looked like a gothic Girl Scout, I laughed since it was funny.
> 
> So, I will be posting tomorrow, but it might be later in the day since I have a family-related appointment to help with in the morning that involves one of my sisters being put under in order to do a full examination of her teeth, and I'll be getting up at 5:00 AM to help out. (Shudders at the thought of getting up that early.) Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. CHAPTER TWO: A PARTY PART ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> The appointment finished early, and so here I am to post the next chapter despite being tired from getting up at 5:00 AM earlier for a 6:15 AM appointment for one of my sisters that went well.
> 
> Ok, time for Dawn and the YouTubers to go to the Victorian Mansion and find Joey…hopefully. Onward!

**CHAPTER TWO: A PARTY PART ONE**

*****

When the day for the party arrived, Dawn exited her house, having made sure that she didn’t have _anything _modern on her, except for the special contact lenses that James had given her since she was near-sighted, and it wasn’t long before she heard the hoofbeats coming down the street. She looked round and saw heading her way was a black/gold carriage being pulled by four horses, and the driver was dressed in Victorian clothing.

_‘This must be my ride,’ _she thought as the carriage stopped in front of her and she pulled the door open. She climbed inside to find a plush peach velvet interior, and she shut the door. Soon the carriage was in motion, and she was on her way. _‘Ok, Joey, I’m coming.’_

*****

By the time that the carriages arrived at the Victorian mansion, the sun was setting behind the mansion. Waiting by the front steps was a woman with brown hair done up in a bun, dark eyes, and she was wearing a black dress with some red, a black coat over it, black leggings, and black leather knee-high boots.

When the first carriage arrived, she walked forward and open the door, letting out Alex Wassabi, who was playing the part of the Novelist that evening. He was looking casually fancy in his white shirt, red-and-black patterned vest, black jacket, and matching pants. There was even a red kerchief tied around his neck for a bit of extra color.

Nodding to the woman, he then went up the steps to enter the mansion, taking in the décor of the foyer, and he was immediately wondering how someone like Joey could own a place like this and not tell him about it.

*****

When the second carriage arrived, the woman opened the door, and this time it was Liza Koshy who exited the carriage with a mischievous grin on her face, and her role was that of the Explorer. She was wearing a white blouse, white pants, white button-down jacket with white frilly cuffs, knee-high brown boots, and even a white kerchief. Her black hair was tied in a bun behind her head, and she looked ready to get her party game on.

She was soon followed by Tyler Oakley, the Thespian, and he was looking forward to seeing Joey and enjoying himself. His silk coat was an eye-popping shade of red, and it went nicely with the rest of his ultra-fancy black-silver-white ensemble. In fact, pretty much the only plain thing about him was the pair of round eyeglasses on his face, and even those glasses had a golden shine to them.

The next arrival was Alex’s girlfriend, Lauren Riihimaki, and she was to be the Engineer. She was wearing a voluptuous yellow ball gown that dragged behind her as she walked, along with a golden necklace, lacy white gloves, and white high heels. Her hair, like Liza's, was styled into a bun, but a few blonde strands dangle down the sides of her head. And when she entered the mansion, she grinned when she saw her boyfriend’s eyes go wide, and she was certain that he had _actually _forgotten to breathe for a few seconds before finally greeting her.

*****

A few minutes later, another carriage arrived and the woman opened the door, letting Dawn out. She thanked the woman, looked up at the mansion, and then she headed up the steps to go inside. _‘Joey is in here _somewhere_, and like any good detective, I’m going to investigate until I find him,’ _she thought, and she’d barely entered the foyer when she was immediately hugged by Liza.

“Donny! You made it!” Liza exclaimed and looked the brunette over. “Nice outfit. So, who areyou tonight?”

Dawn chuckled and straightened her coat before answering. “Hey, Liza, tonight, I’m a detective, and I’m here to find out where Joey’s been hiding for the past month. How about you?” she asked.

“I’m the Explorer,” Liza answered with a big grin, taking her friend’s hand into her own with an excited squeeze. “And I’m looking forward to exploring this place. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the others that are here so far.”

“Ok.”

*****

Ten minutes later, Jesse Wellens stormed in with his silver revolver flashing underneath the bright lights of the house. The Outlaw sported a pitch-black coat, black pants, a weathered brown shirt, and an old grey scarf.

“Don’t shoot!” Tyler exclaimed dramatically when Jesse drew his revolver with a cocky grin. “We’ll give you everything!”

Jesse chuckled and put the revolver away. “I do fit the part, don’t I?” he asked, grinning and the other guests agreed. He went over to Dawn and Liza, giving them both a hug and he planted a kiss on top of the brunette’s head. “Good to see you, Donny.”

“Good to see you, too, Jesse,” Dawn replied with a smile. _‘And _hopefully _I can get us all out of here once I find Joey and keep the events of last year from repeating.’_

*****

Artie and Ernie Goldsmith were the next to arrive with Artie as the Bartender and Ernie as the Blacksmith. Artie with his brown hair smoothed back and gold-rimmed glasses that covered his green eyes, he was looking quite dashing in his white shirt that was covered by a brown vest, a black scarf, a brown coat, brown pants, and shiny black boots.

Ernie was also looking the part of the Blacksmith with his brunette hair being messy, scruff on his face, there was a twinkle in his hazel green eyes, and he wore a white shirt and brown scarf covered by a grey jacket, a brown leather harness, light grey pants, knee-high black boots, and he even had a pair of bronze googles perched on his head and a steampunk-looking gun strapped to his right leg.

*****

The next arrival for the party was Tana Mongeau, the Saloon Girl. Her pastel dress matched perfectly with her platinum blonde hair, and the white gloves and white lacy boots were a nice touch. She looked like a heroine from a Western, except, of course, for the fact that her outfit showed off a lot more cleavage than any Western damsel would dare to reveal.

The moment she saw Artie, she started flirting with him, and she was really getting into her new persona. She was, however, distracted by the next guest to arrive.

Andrea Russett practically floated into the mansion, and she was in full Mystic mode. She let her dark hair hang loose, showing off its purple highlights, and her getup was reminiscent of a mythological priestess. The sash, the skirt, the blouse that was short enough to show her belly button, even her necklace and earrings add a supernatural vibe to her, and they were a mixture of gold and green.

DeStorm Powers was the next guest to arrive, and he strutted into the mansion, already in full Railroad Tycoon mode. His outfit was simple, but it was still elegant, too. He was wearing a white shirt, a pale grey coat, a vest that's the same color as said coat, black overalls, and a tie. But what _really _made him stand out from the others was the black top hat nestled securely on his head.

The final guest to arrive was Gabbie Hanna, the Vaudevillian. The dress she was wearing was a silver spectacle of patterns and sequins, but the _true _attention-getter was her headpiece. It was silver, and it sported a gigantic mess of feathers that not only matched the purplish-bluish color of her hair, but also covered the top of her head completely.

“Has anyone seen Joey yet?” Gabbie asked once she was with the group, looking around for their host. “Is he even here?”

“Yeah, where _is _Joey?” Liza wondered, sounding impatient.

“Well, it’s his house,” Andrea pointed out. “He’s probably just here somewhere.”

_‘I hope so,’ _Dawn thought while getting to know the other YouTubers. Some of them, she already knew from having been introduced to them by Joey, which were primarily Liza, Jesse, Tyler, Artie, and Ernie, and others she was getting to know by way of their personas for the night. “He should show up soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The guests have arrived, and only Dawn is there to find and save Joey while everyone else is there to party. I will update tomorrow after I get home from my morning shift at the movie theater. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	4. CHAPTER THREE: A PARTY PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> I got home from work just barely an hour ago, and I'm exhausted since I was checking the movie theaters to make sure that the movies were starting on time, that everything was working, and I was also cleaning the theaters after each showing was done.
> 
> Anyway, time to see how the party at the Victorian mansion is doing. Onward!

**CHAPTER THREE: A PARTY PART TWO**

*****

Fifteen minutes had passed and with no sign of Joey, the guests were starting to get antsy, plus the woman that had first greeted them was now standing by the base of the spiral staircase, and while it didn’t seem like she was watching them, she was. This made Dawn uneasy, but she hid it from the others, who were still chatting among themselves about their personas, about where Joey was, and she herself was itchy to start searching the mansion for him.

Just then, there was the sound of footsteps coming from above and they all looked up to see a white-haired gentleman descend the stairs until he was halfway down. He had blue eyes and a short white beard, was carrying a glass goblet with red wine in it, and he was dressed in a pale pink shirt with pale red dots, a white ruffle, a golden coat linked with black velvet and silver buttons, a fancy gold chain with a red gem in the center, black pants, and black boots.

“Welcome to my home," he said with a smile, surveying the cheering crowd before him. "My name is Dorian. You all look so…_delicious_.”

The way that he said the word ‘delicious’ left Dawn, Andrea, and a few others feeling uneasy, and the way he was looking at them all, was also unnerving.

“Excuse me!” Liza called out. “Where’s Joey?”

“He wanted me to greet you on his behalf, as he should be making his entrance shortly," Dorian answered calmly and gestured to the young woman. “I see you've met my daughter, Alison.” And Alison smiled nervously at the group as they all greeted her with hellos and smiles. “Why don't you get our guests some drinks?” he suggested.

Alison nodded and left, returning with a tray full of glasses of champagne, and each of the guests took one, even Dawn. The moment Gabbie had her drink, she immediately downed it when Dorian spoke again.

“A toast! To Joey Graceffa!”

“To Joey,” said Liza with a wide smile, “wherever he may be.” And they all clinked their glasses together, even Gabbie, and they all took a sip.

Well, Dawn made a show of taking a sip since she wasn’t about to break the rules she’d been raised to follow and quickly exchanged glasses with Gabbie as Dorian spoke once again. “Now! Enjoy the decor, as I shall return for you when all is ready.” And he went back up the stairs.

The moment that he was gone, the group spilt up to explore the mansion and Dawn put the empty glass down on the tray before hurried up the stairs, hoping to find something, _anything _that could help her find Joey and get them all out of there. She didn’t trust Dorian, especially not after that comment about them all looking delicious, and the sooner they got out of there and back to 2017, the better.

Unfortunately, before she could start her search, she was joined by Liza, Andrea, and Alex. “Wait for us, Donny!”

_‘Dang it!’ _Dawn thought, but she plastered a smile on her face and engaged them in conversation instead. “So, what do you guys think of our host?” she inquired, going into her detective persona. “Personally, I think he has a secret.” And soon they were having a debate about it with Liza in full Explorer mode, Andrea being all Mystic with advice to avoid dark doorways since she was getting a bad vibe about them, and Alex remarking that this could be a great story for him to write as the Novelist.

*****

Downstairs, Tyler was gushing to Gabbie about the pure decadence of the mansion, and after Gabbie learned that he was the Thespian of the group, she mentioned that she was the Vaudevillian and inquired if he was single. When poor Tyler flushed to the point that he almost matched his coat and stammered something about how he was exploring that, she realized that he was actually gay, leading her to flush to the point that they both ended up laughing at their goofs.

*****

In a different corner, DeStorm was chatting with Tana, Ernie, and Jesse about the railroads he owned since Tana was asking, and he was inquiring about what kind of blacksmithing Ernie did when Jesse inquired about “how tight is your security on these railroads?”

DeStorm, however, played along and gave the Outlaw a cool look. “How big is your gang?"

"I'm just trying to survive," Jesse said defensively.

"I mean…" said Tana, and her tone was dangerously innocent. "Aren't we all?"

Before DeStorm, Ernie, or Jesse could respond, she sauntered off, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder, smiling that sly little smirk of hers.

“Talk about getting into character,” Ernie commented and both DeStorm and Jesse agreed.

*****

Lauren went upstairs to see what Liza and Dawn were talking about with Tana, who’d wandered up there after first Andrea and then Alex had come back down to mingle with the other guests. He had paused long enough to gush over her dress and give her kiss.

She was still flushing from the kiss and loving her outfit since she felt like a Disney Princess in it, and she knew that the moment that Alex had seen her when she first arrived, he’d actually forgotten how to breath, which was the _exact _reaction she’d hoped to get from her boyfriend.

“Hey, guys,” Lauren said, greeting the three girls and Tana immediately began asking her about how she _created _her dress. “Oh…" She took the opportunity to show off the intricacies of her outfit. "Just a little something. I'm an Engineer, so I create things of all sorts and styles."

Liza chimed in with an incredulous, "You made that booty?"

"I made this booty!"

“You did a _wonderful _job, Lauren,” Dawn complimented.

“_That's _what Alex is writing about," Liza said mischievously.

Lauren giggled. "This is the muse,” she agreed. “This is the muse.” She noticed that Dawn was trying to sidle away. “Are you going somewhere, Dawn?”

Dawn flushed and laughed nervously. “Well, I’m a detective, and there’s a _real _mystery about this place,” she admitted, gesturing to the mansion. “And, I’m kinda itching to _solve_ that mystery.”

“Well, we could help you look for clues,” Tana offered, eager to see more of the mansion.

“Yeah,” Liza agreed. “You’re a detective, I’m an explorer, perfect fit.”

Dawn shrugged and nodded. “Ok.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone else feel uneasy when Dorian showed up and commented of how the group "all look delicious" when you first saw this episode for the first time? Because I was immediately feeling uneasy.
> 
> Ok, so I will be updating tomorrow when I get home from work as I have another morning shift at the movie theater, and it'll probably be busier then it was today as we're getting three new movies: Rambo: Last Blood and is rated R, so I'm not going to see it. AD Astra and it's rated PG-13, so there's a chance that I'll be seeing it. And finally Downton Abby and it's rated PG, which I do plan to see since I know some of the actors from the Harry Potter movies and Doctor Who.
> 
> Anyway, time for me to go. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	5. CHAPTER FOUR: CLUES AND A WARNING

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> I'm back with the next chapter and things are going to start getting interesting. Onward!

**CHAPTER FOUR: CLUES AND A WARNING**

*****

Meanwhile downstairs, Tyler, DeStorm, and Artie were inquiring from Alex about where they could find his novels, and Alex was admitting to them that his books were all currently in his head. And when Tyler made a cryptic remark about how it would be a shame if anything _happen _to him tonight, this had gotten his arm swatted by Artie.

“Don’t let Dawn hear you say that,” he warned, nodding up to where the brunette was on the second floor with Liza, Tana, and Lauren. “Especially after what she, Joey, Oli, and Eva went through last year.”

Tyler flushed. “Oh, of course,” he agreed, already regretting his words. “I hope she didn’t hear me say that.”

“Same here,” Alex agreed, and while he didn’t really know the actress that well, he knew that she could blow up if pushed too far, just like anyone, but more so if it was about her Autism, her acting, or even about the events of last year.

*****

Back upstairs, Dawn was looking around the landing with Liza, Lauren, and Tana. Privately she was wishing that they weren’t with her, but she also figured that if they all looked, they might find something that would help them find Joey.

“Hey, here’s a book,” said Liza and sure enough, resting on a pestle was a large book that was open with a red silk stripe of cloth serving as a bookmark.

“Looks like someone was reading this,” Dawn remarked as they gathered around the book and when Lauren pushed the bookmark aside, they found themselves staring at a familiar portrait. “Guys, that’s-”

“That's him!" Liza exclaimed. "That's Dorian!”

“Why would Joey’s new friend have his picture in a book?” Tana wondered.

Dawn bit her bottom lip, not liking what this could mean. “I’m not so sure that Dorian _is _Joey’s friend,” she admitted and she was about to read what was in the book when Liza picked up the bookmark, having found something on it.

“It says either ‘live’ or ‘evil’.”

“This has to do with something,” Tana stated. “It wouldn't be open on this page if it didn't-”

“There’s _no way,_” Lauren scoffed.

Dawn shook her head. “No, Tana has a point,” she stated, “the odds of there being a book with Dorian’s photo in it _might _seem unlikely, but this book is open on this page for a _reason, _and whatever that reason is, it might also explain _why _we haven’t seen Joey yet.”

“Could they be working on a prank together to surprise us?” Lauren suggested.

Dawn shook her head again. “I don’t think so.”

*****

Meanwhile, Tyler was looking at a large portrait of Dorian, but he hadn’t realized it, and he was making jokes about it, getting the attention of Alex, Artie, and DeStorm. “_That's _a daddy if I've ever seen one,” he joked.

“That’s not a painting,” said DeStorm, recognizing the man.

“This is the guy!” Alex exclaimed. “This is Dorian!”

Artie stepped closer to the portrait as DeStorm pointed out that there was something off about the portrait. “You’re right,” he agreed, reaching forward, and carefully peeled off a corner of the portrait. “This doesn’t belong on there at all.”

“What is it?” Alex asked and he gasped when Artie showed them what was on the other side of the fabric he’d removed. “It’s a part of a map.”

Just then, Jesse found a weird wooden cylinder on a table and picked it up. “Hey, check this out,” he said, holding it up as Gabbie, Ernie, Gabbie, DeStorm, Alex, Tyler, Andrea, and Artie gathered around. “This looks like a puzzle.”

“It is,” Ernie agreed, taking it from him. “Looks like we need to put in four letters to open this.”

“Try ‘Dorian’,” Andrea suggested. “That’s the guy’s name.”

Artie shook his head. “No, that name has six letters in it, and this only takes four letters.”

Ernie tried J-O-E-Y, but it wouldn’t open. “It’s not Joey, so we need a different four lettered word.”

Alex took the puzzle from him. “I’m the puzzle master,” he said, and it was well-known that he was a Sudoku master, and he twisted one of the sides of the puzzle until it came off. “Oops.”

“Dude, I think you broke it,” Jesse remarked.

Just then, Dawn came down the stairs with Lauren, who was carrying the book, Liza, and Tana, who was helping to carry the back of Lauren’s dress. “Guys, we’ve found a book here and-” she stopped when she saw the puzzle. “Is that a cryptex?”

“Yeah, but I might’ve broke it,” Alex admitted, holding up the piece he’d removed.

“Not necessarily,” Dawn said and he handed her the cryptex. “You only removed a side, but it still works. Lauren, what words are written on that bookmark again?”

Lauren held up the bookmark and showed them. “We got ‘evil’ and ‘live’ written on this. Plus this page is about Dorian.”

“And both have four letters,” said Dawn, and she put E-V-I-L into the combination. “Yes!” she said as it slid open.

“Is it the other half of the map?” Tyler asked.

“What map?” Dawn asked and Artie showed her the map half that’d been found. Frowning, she finished opening the cryptex and a key fell out into Jesse’s hand since he was the closest to her. “No, just a key.” She started when she felt a touch on her shoulder and turned to find Alison standing next to her. “Alison?”

“Come with me,” Alison requested, nodding to a doorway nearby. “Please.” And she also gestured to Tyler and Alex, too. “Hurry.”

Dawn gave the cryptex and the key to Jesse, instructing him to hold onto them, and followed the woman into a study, where they were joined by Alex and Tyler. “Alison, what is it?” she asked once they were by one of the windows.

“You need to _leave,_” Alison insisted, and she quickly peered out the nearby window.

“We need to leave?” Tyler repeated, confused.

“Get all your friends and go,” Alison insisted. “It’s not safe here.”

“What do you mean, it’s not safe?” Alex asked, equally confused.

Dawn hushed them both before turning her attention to the woman. “Alison, is there someone or something in this place that could harm us?” she asked, earning a nod. “Ok, I figured as much, but if we’re going get out of here, we need Joey first.”

“There’s no time,” Alison insisted. “You all have to leave _now._” And while the brunette was insisting that they weren’t going to leave without Joey, Alison’s eyes went wide when two men in Victorian clothing appeared in the doorway.

“Alison,” said one of the men. “Your father is ready for you in the ballroom.”

A resigned expression etched itself across Alison’s face and she nodded. “Of course, we’ll be along shortly.” And she headed for the doorway with Dawn, Alex, and Tyler following after her while exchanging uneasy looks.

*****

Rejoining their friends, Alex decided to take the warning seriously. “You guys, we should go,” he informed them. “We should just…let's just go…something's not right about this…"

"Something's wrong,” Tyler agreed.

Before their friends could ask them what was wrong, Alison spoke up, trying to sound cheerful, but it was clear that she wasn’t happy. “If you could just follow me,” she instructed the group, turning to go, and they all started to follow.

“What’s going on, Donny?” Liza asked the brunette. “What did Alison say to you guys?”

Dawn opened her mouth to answer when a rough hand was suddenly clamped over it and an arm was wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her sides, and the same happened to Liza.

They both let out muffled screams, getting the attention of their friends as the two men dragged them toward the study, and they were both struggling agains the men, but they were _very _strong.

“Dawn! Liza!”

But it was too late, they were yanked into the study, the door slamming shut, and hiding them from view.

They had been taken!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no! Dawn and Liza have been kidnapped! What is going to happen to them? And where are earth is Joey?!
> 
> Post your guesses in your comments, and you'll all find out what happens next tomorrow. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	6. CHAPTER FIVE: VAMPIRES!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Yes, I'm posting earlier then normal for a Saturday, but there are several reasons for that: 1. I have a client with Autism who I'll be heading out with to do fun stuff. 2. My dad is part of an orchestra that is performing today at a festival known as the Harvest Moon Festival. 3. I will also be going to a Star party with my dad tonight, to look at the stars through telescopes, and he's been trying to get me to come to one of these parties for a while.
> 
> Ok, enough about real life and time to find out what is going on, and whether Dawn and Liza are ok. Onward!

**CHAPTER FIVE: VAMPIRES!**

*****

Alex, Tyler, Artie, Jesse, and Ernie all ran forward and yanked the door to the study open, running inside, only to see that there was no sign of either the girls or the men that had taken them. They were gone!

“How – how can they just disappear like that?” Tyler wondered, his voice squeaking with fear.

“There must be a secret passage,” Artie guessed.

“Well, then we need to find it and get Dawn and Liza back,” Ernie insisted.

“Definitely,” Jesse agreed, not liking that two of his friends had been taken like that and right in front of him. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but when Joey and Dawn had gone missing those three months with the other YouTubers, he’d nearly went crazy with worry, and when Joey had disappeared last month, he’d been worried again. _‘I _don’t _know what’s going on around here,’ _he thought, _‘but I’m not leaving this place until I get Joey, Dawn, and Liza _back_.’_

Alex shook his head. “No, we need to stick with the others and not get separated,” he stated, not wanting to abandon Lauren. “Come on.”

*****

“They’re gone,” Alex announced when they rejoined the alarmed group. “They’re gone.”

“We can’t leave Liza or Dawn!” Tana wailed.

“We won’t,” Artie reassured her. “But there’s nothing we can do right now.”

“Alison was right,” Tyler agreed. “She told us that we have to get out of here. No matter what happens, we _have _to stick together.”

Alison gestured at them to follow her and Gabbie was complaining about how they were “really bad friends”, and she lead them to a door that lead outside.

*****

Meanwhile, Dawn and Liza were still struggling in the grips of the two men as they were dragged down a hallway that was dimly lit, and they were taken to a door that had faint music coming from the other side, and waiting for them was Dorian.

“Let go!” Dawn shouted, struggling against the man that had her arms pinned behind her. “Let go!” _‘Great! Been here _only _a half hour and I get grabbed! How am I going to find Joey now?’_

“Please let us go,” Liza pleaded, terrified. “_Please?_”

The two men ignored them and stopped before Dorian, who was looking pleased to see the two girls. “We grabbed these two for you, sire.”

“Very good,” said Dorian, reaching out and ran a finger along the side of Dawn’s face, chuckling when she flinched away, so he caught her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Ah, so you’re the one who bears the Light, eh?”

“I – I have _no _idea of what you’re talking about,” Dawn grunted, glaring at him, and was once again wonder how many others knew about the Light that was apparently inside her while she knew almost _nothing _about it. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but you better let us all go, or so help me-”

Dorian laughed and released her chin, cutting her off. “Is that a _threat?_” he asked smugly. “Oh, you are _quite _funny, little girl,” he mocked, earning two glares that quickly faded when he smiled in a way that revealed his unique teeth.

Both Dawn and Liza went pale with fear. Dorian was a vampire!

“Keep them here until it’s time,” Dorian instructed the two men, and then he went through the door to the room beyond.

The moment that he was gone, Dawn and Liza exchanged uneasy looks. If Dorian was a vampire, then what did that mean for them and their friends?

*****

Alison lead the group outside and down a flight of stairs to the back of the mansion while Gabbie was fretting about Dawn and Liza being taken by the two hot-looking men, and the group were starting to wonder if something really had happen to Joey since they knew that he wouldn’t pull a stunt like this, not after what happen last year.

“All I know is,” said Alex, upset that this was happening while holding Lauren close, “we need to get Joey, Dawn, and Liza, and get out of here!”

“Listen!” Alison commanded, turning to face them and they all immediately hushed, staring at her. “My father's lying to you, okay? He's not the owner of this estate. You need to stay close to me tonight, okay?” And they all nodded nervously while wondering who really owned the place and why they’d been brought there.

Just then, a door in a wall of windows that looked into a grand ballroom, where there were masked people dancing, opened and tall black man with a silver/blue mask covering his eyes, stepped out and spoke in a deep voice. “Bring in the guests.”

There were audile gulps from members of the group as they followed Alison toward the door, and into the ballroom beyond.

*****

Despite what happen earlier, the group was impressed by what looked to be a perfectly normal masquerade ball, and Tana couldn’t help but start dancing, earning a few eye rolls. “It's time to get lit! It's time to get lit!” Although her timing wasn’t great, it did help a little to ease the tension as they followed Alison through the room and passed the dancing couples.

Both Alex and Tyler were keeping a close eye on their friends, making sure that they didn’t get separated from the rest of the group, especially with how some of the people were staring at them, and a few of the men were even licking their lips a little. Behind them, the man that’d let them in, shut and locked the doors, and he was now following them.

There was a red curtain covering one side of the ballroom, and Artie had a feeling that there was something behind there, but whether it would be something good or something bad remained to be seen.

Just then, a dark-haired woman in a grey/green dress approached them, and there was a hungry look in her eyes that they could see despite the mask she was wearing. "I'm _first_, Alison."

"Back off!" the man snapped from behind them, making them jump. "I already laid claim.”

Hearing this, Alex pulled Lauren closer and the group did get closer together, which wasn’t easy since Tana was still twirling with her hands in the air above her head.

Alison glared at the woman and the man, who backed away, and she quickly lead the group to the side of the room, where there was a gold throne on a platform. She did have to grab Jesse, who’d gotten distracted by two lingerie-clad women feeling each other up on a nearby couch.

"I want to join _that _party!" he complained as Alison pulled him away.

“No you don’t,” Alison retorted and made sure that they were all behind her, including Tana once she finally stopped twirling. “Trust me, you don’t.”

When every door to the ballroom were shut, a goblet shaped like a skull was handed to Dorian, who was now wearing a gold mask over his eyes, and he made an announce while smiling in a way that made it clear that the YouTubers were in _serious _trouble. “Ladies and gentlemen, dinner has arrived!”

Alison raised her arms to shield the group as the lights began flashing suddenly, and they all screamed in fear, some of them climbing onto the platform as the people in the room ripped off their masks, and advanced toward them, revealing their fangs and the hunger in their eyes.

“They are vampires!"

"We are _dinner__!_”

“We’re trapped!”

They all were in _serious _trouble!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vampires! Run! The only good things about these vampires is that they aren't the type from the Twilight series. *Shudders* Whoever heard of glittery vampires anyways, what is Stephanie Meyers thinking?
> 
> Anyway, I'll be back to post another chapter on Monday for you all to see what will happen next now that the YouTubers have been cornered by vampires of all things. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	7. CHAPTER SIX: MISSING FRIENDS FOUND!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Things are not looking good for our group of YouTubers since they are currently trapped in the ballroom, surrounded by vampires, and they still don't know where Joey, Dawn, and Liza are. Time to see how they're going to get out of this mess. Onward!

**CHAPTER SIX: MISSING FRIENDS FOUND!**

*****

The group was still freaking out while Alison was keeping her fellow vampires at bay by hissing at them, baring her fangs, and Dorian had to shout to be heard over the snarls of his followers.

“But first,” he said and the vampires all quieted down, but they were still staring hungrily at the terrified group, “the appetizer!” And the curtain behind him was yanked aside to reveal a steampunk-like machine with three X-shaped poles with chains on them behind it, and chained to one of the poles was-

“Joey!” the group screamed, staring in horror at their friend, who was looking _very _pale in his outfit, which matched his brown hair, and the way that he was staring listlessly at the floor of the platform had them realizing that the vampires had been feeding on him, and probably through the plastic tube that was running from his back and into the machine. “Joey! Joey!”

Still smiling, Dorian turned to the machine and turned a knob that caused blood to come out of a tap and into the goblet. The machine started up, and Joey jerked and twisted, crying out in pain as blood flowed out of him, through the tube, and into the machine, scaring the group and proving them right at the same time.

Once it was filled, Dorian turned the knob again, turning off the machine, resulting in Joey slumping so that the chains on his wrists and ankles being the only thing keeping him upright while he was gasping and groaning against the pain, and Dorian took a sip of the warm blood before turning to the terrified group of YouTubers and Alison.

“Alison, darling,” he said, holding up the goblet, “do you care for a drink? You seem a bit pent up!”

“I’m not thirsty,” Alison snapped, glaring at her father.

Dorian sighed, shaking his head. “You disappoint me,” he tsked. “Bring in the other warm ones!” And a door behind the platform opened, and the two vampires hauled Dawn and Liz into the ballroom.

“Dawn! Liza!”

Dawn struggled as the vampires chained her and Liza to the two remaining poles, cursing the fact that vampires just _had _to be real, and her expression changed when she saw Joey. “Joey!”

“It’s Joey!” Liza exclaimed, spotting him, too. “What’re they doing to him?!”

Hearing shouting, Dawn looked toward their friends and saw that Artie and Ernie were holding back Tana, who was clearly trying to run to them. “Stay back, Tana!” she ordered. “There’s too many vampires!”

_‘So much for getting us all out of here before hell broke loose,’ _she thought sourly and glanced at Joey, who had managed to straighten up a bit and he was looking a little more aware then he had been a few seconds again, and her heart sank when she saw that his face was battered. _‘Oh, Joey, what have they been _doing _to you?’_

Just then, the female vampire that’d approached the group earlier, glowered at Alison. “I'm _done _waiting, Alison!” she hissed, eying the group, particularly Andrea for some disturbing reason that made the girl shiver in spite of herself.

“Back _off_, Vera!” Alison snarled and head-butted her, knocking her to the floor, punching her in the face for good measure. She then summoned a ball of red magic and threw it at the floor, forcing the other vampires to retreat in fear, and she threw down a second ball of red magic to make sure that they stayed back. “Run!” she shouted to the group and they fled to the nearest door, which they forced open, and they were gone with her right behind them, slamming the door shut.

“Alison!” Dorian shouted, enraged. “Alison!”

*****

Alison hurried the group through the foyer, up the stairs, and through a hallway into a room, making sure that they were all in before she shut and locked the door. She moved across the room as the YouTubers were shouting over each other, freaking out by everything that was happening, and faced them as DeStorm pointed out that they couldn’t leave until they saved Joey, Dawn, and Liza.

“If you want to save Joey, Dawn, and Liza," Alison informed them, her voice low and fierce, "we _have _to take down my father.”

“Why would you betray your father?” Tyler inquired, finding it suspicious since this woman was a vampire, too.

“There are other people who want out," Alison responded. "I'm doing this for them.”

_‘Just how _many _people are in this place?’ _Artie wondered. “So, how do we take down your father?”

“It won’t be easy,” Alison admitted. “And a stake to the heart is_not_going to be enough to kill a vampire as powerful as my father. He has to be placed in a circle of purified salt, burned by a sunstone, and _then _stabbed.”

“So, we have to get ice?” Gabbie asked, getting some groans from the group.

“No, salt,” Ernie corrected her.

Alison gestured to the room. “My father used to keep purified salt in this room in case there's a rebel vampire."

"Of _course _he did," Tyler snapped.

Alison ignored him and picked up a bell from a table. “I'll keep watch for you," she added. "If there's a vampire coming, you'll hear this bell.” She shook the bell, making a high-pitched ringing noise that made a few of the people cringe. “If they come, you need to get out of sight. If they see you, they'll drag you away. Okay?” And she exited the room before they could protest, taking the bell with her.

Great, trapped in a mansion filled with vampires, three friends already captured, and they were having to _trust _a vampire to stay alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news, Joey has been found. Bad news, the group is split and having to hide from the vampires. Things aren't looking too good right now. I will see you all tomorrow with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	8. CHAPTER SEVEN: DEADLY HIDE AND SEEK PART ONE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> Sorry if this is a bit late, but I was helping with my client earlier, and I had to help my mom with a project. Yeah, I had a busy morning. Anyway, time to see how our favorite YouTubers are doing. Onward!

**CHAPTER SEVEN: DEADLY HIDE AND SEEK PART ONE**

*****

Meanwhile back in the ballroom, Dorian was beside himself with rage over his daughter’s betrayal, and he was _determined _to get the group of young people back, no matter _what _the cost. “Lock the door!” he ordered to his fellow vampires. “Board it!” He turned to the black vampire. “Morgan! Secure the courtyard exit! The rest of you, follow me!”

He lead them out of the ballroom through the door to the outside, some of them made a point of shoving at Verda, who was still on the floor, blaming her for their dinner escaping. Verda eventually picked herself up and followed them out, and Morgan was the last one out, shutting the door behind him so that he could stand guard.

Once the vampires were gone, Dawn turned to look at Joey, who was definitely more alert by this point. “Joey, Joey,” she said and he looked at her, “are you ok?”

“Dawn? Liza?” Joey was surprised to see them both and chained up just like him. “How did you both get here?” he asked, especially since his own memory was fuzzy, and he couldn’t really recall how _he _got there.

“Someone sent invites to a group of us to come here,” Dawn informed him, keeping Liza from going into rant mode, not that she didn’t feel like ranting herself, but it wasn’t time or the place. “And whoever that is, probably Dorian, used you to get _us _here, Joey.”

_‘Not _again_,’ _Joey thought. “Well, I have _no _memory of that, and that’s the truth,” he promised. “All I know is that I’ve been here a month and being held prisoner by those vampires.”

“Joey, what is that _tube _coming out of you?” Liza asked, pointing at the plastic tube.

Joey made a face at the tube, vaguely recalling how Dorian had ordered him chained up to the pole a month ago, wincing in pain when the needle was inserted into the back of his neck, and how he wasn’t to be bitten for some reason and the term ‘bait’ was tossed around despite the desire of some of the vampires to feed on him. “They've been…_feeding _off me,” he answered, trying to reach for it, but he couldn’t because of the chains.

“And using you as a punching bag, too, I’m guessing,” Dawn remarked and when he shot her a familiar exasperated look, she knew that he was going to be ok. “Sorry, you know how I have to joke to keep from freaking out.”

Joey rolled his eyes, but she did have a point. They _needed _to get out of there before the vampires came back, and her humor was the best thing he’d heard in a long time. “I know, I know,” he grumbled good naturally. “So, how do we get out of here?”

Liza looked around, which wasn’t easy with the chains on their wrists. “We need keys,” she suggested. “We need keys, right?”

Joey noticed that there was a lever between the two girls, and he pointed to it. “What’s that lever?”

Both Dawn and Liza glanced at the lever and then at each other, wondering if it could help get them free of the chains. “This lever?”

Joey nodded, wincing at the pain from where the needle was still in his neck. “Yeah, that lever.”

Dawn shrugged. “Worth a shot.” And both she and Liza kicked at it with their feet since they weren’t chained, and when the lever moved, it activated the machine, but in reverse, shooting blood back into Joey, who gasped in pain. “Joey!”

“Omigod,” Liza gasped. “Did that hurt you?”

Joey gritted his teeth against the pain. “Just do it,” he insisted.

“Ok,” Dawn said, not really wanting to hurt her friend. “Ok, Liza, on three. One…two…three!” And they both kicked the lever _hard_.

The second that the lever moved, the chain that’d been attached to it, was loosened, and as it slid, Joey suddenly fell to his knees. He was freed! And he grinned at the girls, who smiled back. After removing the chains, removing the needle, _finally_, and picking himself up, he used the machine to support himself since he was weak from the blood loss, where he found a keyring on top of it.

_‘At least I didn’t have to search the entire room for it,’ _Joey thought, turning to Dawn, and started trying the keys on the locks. “Who else is here?” he asked, recalling that there had been a group fleeing from the vampires, and they had seem familiar.

“Next to Liza and myself,” Dawn recalled. “There’s DeStorm, Alex, Lauren, Andrea, Tyler, Tana, Jesse, Gabbie, Artie, and Ernie. Counting you, there’s a total of thirteen of us here.”

“And you all got invites to a dinner that I apparently sent?” Joey asked, vaguely recalling having written _something_, but he wasn’t entirely sure.

“The invites _did _have your name on them,” Liza pointed out.

Dawn could tell that Joey was getting upset that he’d been used to lure them there under false pretense. “Let’s worry about who did what later,” she suggested.

Joey nodded and concentrated on finding the right key to the locks, and managed to free her from the chains. They hugged and then they went to work on freeing Liza from the chains, too.

“Joey, how did _you _get here?” Liza inquired. “You’ve been missing for a _month._”

Joey tried to recall how he’d ended up in the Victorian mansion. “I just remember…like…I just…I don’t know.”

“We can figure that out later,” Dawn said. “Right now, let’s figure out how to get out of here and find our friends before the vampires do.”

Both Joey and Liza agreed. Getting out of the ballroom was their top priority.

*****

Upstairs, the group was trying to figure out what to do next, and Andrea pointed out that they best look over what they had so far: the key, the cryptex, and the half of a map. So, it was decided that they should look for the salt before any vampires showed up. So far they weren’t having too much luck, and Gabbie made a joke about checking Tana’s cleavage that got a few snorts from some of the guys, but no real laughs.

“Guys!” Gabbie exclaimed, holding up a small scroll that she’d just found in cup. “I found a scroll!”

“Wait!” Tyler exclaimed, having just found a scroll, too. “I found a scroll, too!”

“As did I,” said DeStorm, having found a scroll on the fireplace mantle.

“Hold on a second," Jesse said, recalling how the bookmark helped open the cryptex earlier. "What does it say? Is there a clue?"

Realizing that he had a point, DeStorm opened up the scroll and read it. "Mine says 3-B."

"Okay, well, the shapes have to mean _something,_" Alex insisted, looking at the numbers and shapes "There's two rectangles and one triangle."

"Three scrolls," Tyler remarked.

Just then, DeStorm found another scroll. "All right, I found another one, y'all!" he crowed, freeing their fourth scroll from the bottle it was hidden in. "I found another one. Of course I did. Because I'm the mother-” and a certain bell began ringing, cutting him off.

“The bell!”

The group scattered around the room, looking for hiding places among the curtains, the furniture – anywhere that could _possibly _work. Both Alex and Lauren hid behind some of the curtains as a male vampire in an orange suit entered the room.

He looked around the room and spotted a certain yellow dress peeking out behind the curtains. Grinning evilly, he quickly rushed over and grabbed Lauren, who screamed and struggled as he dragged her out of the room.

“Lauren!” Alex darted out from behind the curtain to go after his girlfriend, but Ernie, who’d hidden behind one of the cabinets, came out and stopped him. “He has Lauren!”

“I know, I _know,_” said Ernie, “but there’s nothing we can do for her right now. We still need to find the salt.”

Alex stared longingly at the door that his girlfriend had been taken through, her screams long gone, and he knew that his friend was right. Until they could find the salt and anything else that could help them, there was nothing that he could do to save Lauren, Joey, Dawn, or even Liza.

*****

Lauren struggled in the grip of the vampire as he hauled her outside, but he was too strong, and she was wishing that she’d worn a different outfit instead of the yellow dress that she’d been loving until a few minutes ago when it had caused her to be captured. She’d heard Alex shout after her, and she hoped that he would be smart enough to help the others instead of risking his life to come after her.

_‘As much as I would _love _him to rescue me, it isn’t worth the risk,’ _Lauren thought as the vampire pinned her to one of the pillars and tied her up as a second vampire joined them. _‘I just hope they can save me before I can become vampire food though.’_

“Here!” her abductor cackled, running a finger over her face and making her cringe. “Found one! And, for the record, once we've got all of them and Dorian gives the go-ahead to start the feast, I claim _her__._”

“Come _on_, Louis,” the second vampire protested. “You _know _that there’s at least six of us who want a crack at her.” And he stroked her bare shoulder, making her shudder. “Why don’t you take the gunslinger? Or even that detective gal chained up in the ballroom? I hear that she has some kind of Light inside her…”

_‘Light?’ _Lauren thought as the two vampires bickered over her. _‘Why would Dawn have a Light inside her? I know that I don’t know her as well as Liza, but still. A Light?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting tense now that Lauren has been captured by the vampires, and things are probably going to get worse before they get better. I will see you all tomorrow with the next chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	9. CHAPTER EIGHT: DEADLY HIDE AND SEEK PART TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> I've had a rough morning with something costing a lot more then I first thought, and this weekend isn't going to be any easier since I'm going to be working four days straight.
> 
> Ok, enough about real life, let's see what's going on with our favorite YouTubers and whether they can escape from the vampires and the mansion. Onward!

**CHAPTER EIGHT: DEADLY HIDE AND SEEK PART TWO**

*****

Meanwhile in the ballroom, after freeing Liza from the chains, they climbed off the platform and when Joey staggered, Dawn kept him from face-planting on the floor, and it was clear that the blood loss was affecting him.

“Joey, maybe you should sit while Liza and I figure out how to get past Mr. Tall and Creepy over there,” she suggested, nodding to the vampire that was guarding the only way out that they knew wasn’t locked.

Joey shook his head. “No way, I rather help then be useless.”

“Sometimes you can be _too _stubborn for you own good, Joey Graceffa,” Dawn scolded, rolling her eyes while Liza snickered.

“And that’s why you _love me _so much, Dawn Hatcher,” Joey teased with a grin, laughing when the brunette snorted and swatted his arm, and Liza snickered again. “So, maybe we can use something to lure him away,” he suggested, nodding to the vampire.

Liza looked around, thinking, and then her eyes fell on the blood machine. “Lure him…your blood!”

Dawn and Joey both looked at her questioningly. “_Blood?_”

Liza nodded. “What if you use your blood to lure him away?”

“Uh, I don’t know if that’s such a good-” Dawn began, feeling a bit queasy at the thought.

“That's a good idea!” said Joey, surprising them both.

“I _can’t _believe you just agreed to this,” Dawn complained as they went back to the machine, where the goblet that Dorian had been drinking from earlier was.

“Oh hush,” said Joey, picking up the goblet and he was about to turn the tap on when he got distracted by a weird-looking symbol on the machine. "Wait, what's that?" He pointed. "It looks like something goes there.”

Dawn examined the symbol, which looked familiar, and she realized what it was. “Whoa, that’s the Egyptian symbol for life.”

“The one from _Yu-Gi-Oh_?” Joey asked and she nodded. “Cool!”

“From what now?” Liza asked, confused.

“It’s a Japanese card game that I used to play as a kid,” Joey informed her. “Do think that symbol could be useful?”

Dawn shrugged. “If we’re looking for one of the Millennium items, sure,” she agreed sarcastically. Of course with how the night was going so far, if it _did _turn out the Millennium items _were _real, then she was going to keep Jesse _far away _from the Millennium Ring since there was _no way _she would let him get possessed by a certain tomb robber.

“You just lost me again,” Liza admitted.

“I’ll explain later,” Dawn promised. “Maybe there’s something else on this machine that might help instead.” And they began looking it over, finding something on the top where Joey had found the keys earlier. “Here’s a note and a box.”

Liza eagerly read the note. “‘The machine holds the secret to slaying the king of the vampires’.” She tried to open the box, but it was locked.

“We need to find the key," Joey grumbled, throwing up his hands._"Another _frickin' key.”

“Here we go _again,_” Dawn muttered.

Liza wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but she picked up the ring of keys from the floor. “We can try these keys.” And they spend the next few minutes trying the keys, but none of them fit.

“So much for _that _idea,” Dawn said, tossing aside the keys. “This lock is oddly shaped and they don’t fit.”

Liza squinted at the keyhole, noting that it looked like a spoon, and she remembered that her outfit had come with a _useful _object. “Omigod,” she whispered, pulling the spoon-shaped object off her coat and showed it to Joey and Dawn. “Does _this _work?”

“Where did you get that?” Dawn asked, exchanging a confused look with Joey.

“It came with my outfit and the letter did say that some of them would come with useful objects,” Liza responded. “So, will it work?”

“Worth a shot,” Joey said, taking the spoon-key from her and he tried it in the lock. And sure enough it worked. “Yes!”

They opened the box and there was a brown wooden book with a female face, which reminded Liza of her grandmother, carved on the cover. They took it out and opened it, finding writing inside.

“‘The wooden stake of Van Helsing’,” Joey read, “‘the great hunter of vampires, is…’” He stopped, trying to make out the next word. “Enboing? Enbwey? Embed?”

“Imbued,” Dawn said. “It starts with an I not an E.”

Joey nodded and resumed reading, mentally blaming the stupid paint chips for affecting his learning ability. “‘Imbued with a dark magic from the blood of a thousand dead vampires. To prevent it from being used to kill him, Dorian kept it here in the ballroom. Three ankhs must be placed in the machine and turned upside down to reveal its location’.”

“That's an ankh!" Liza exclaimed, pointing to the symbol on the machine. "That little thing that you said symbolized life! There's three of them in this room.”

“Well, I guess we _are _looking for a Millennium item after all,” Dawn remarked as they began searching the room and Joey quickly pulled on his dark blue coat that was draped over one of the chairs since he was feeling a bit cold, which probably had to do with the blood loss.

Liza did call out “ankh” a few times to remind herself of what they were looking for, getting chuckles from Dawn and Joey, and they were examining an odd-looking pattern on one of the walls, when she dragged them away to check some vases, and she managed to find the first ankh under one of the vases. “Got one!”

They kept looking, being careful of not going too close to where the vampire was standing guard, and when Liza looked under one of the benches, she found the second ankh. “I found another one!"

"Girl," Joey said. "Omigod."

Liza leapt to her feet, an ankh in each hand. "Omigod,” she said grinning widely. “I am _such _a good Explorer. I found _two _of them!"

"You really are,” Dawn agreed and Joey nodded, and they resumed looking.

Joey was hoping to be more helpful, but the blood loss was affecting his ability to find things, and he was starting to think that Dawn had been right and he should be sitting down and recovering when Liza shot over to where there was a clock on a shelf, and she pointed to it.

“C'mere, c'mere, c'mere!”

“That’s it, Liza,” Dawn said with a chuckle, joining her. “No more sugar for you. You’re _too _hyper.”

“And you’re _not _my mom,” Liza retorted with a grin and pointed to the clock. “I think it’s in there.”

Joey opened the front of the clock and sure enough, there was a gold ankh in it. “Omigod, I found it! I found the last one!”

“No, you didn’t,” Liza teased, giggling.

They went back to the machine and fitted the three ankhs in their respective slots on the front of the machine and turned them upside-down. And seconds later, a giant blue curtain unraveled from the ceiling and dropped on the other side of the room, hiding the gold throne from view, startling them as it revealed both a dark blue book and a giant black stake.

They’d found it!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The stake, plus a book, have been found! There's hope for Joey, Dawn, and Liza getting out of the ballroom, once they can get pass Mr. Tall and Creepy.
> 
> I will be updating tomorrow and over the weekend like I normally do, despite how busy I will be, and I will see you all later. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	10. CHAPTER NINE: DEADLY HIDE AND SEEK PART THREE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night!
> 
> It's time for the final chapter and to see whether our favorite YouTubers can find the salt and whether Joey, Dawn, Liza can now escape from the ballroom. Onward!

**CHAPTER NINE: DEADLY HIDE AND SEEK PART THREE**

*****

Back in the upstairs room, the group resumed searching for the scrolls and found a total of seven, which they set on the top of the pool table, along with the cryptex, the map half, and the key.

“Should we put them in order?” Andrea suggested.

Alex ignored her, looking around the room and then he hurried over to one of the candelabras, finding another scroll, which he added to the others, and then he duck under the pool table, confusing his friends until he rolled back out, holding up a box that’d been stuck to the bottom of the table. He was on a roll!

Jesse grabbed the key and tried it in the lock of the box, opening it, and inside wasa bunch of pool balls, neatly compacted together, each with a different number on its side. There was also a diagram and a note.

"Listen,” Alex said, grabbing both pieces of paper. "Listen.” And he read the note. “‘Recreate the king's last game of pool using these nine numbered balls. Leave the others in the pocket. Use a cue to line them up perfectly. The room holds the combination’.”

"I don't know what any of that means!" Gabbie complained.

"I do," Jesse insisted. "I know. I understand.” And he pointed to the scrolls. “These scrolls hold the combination, am I right?”

Alex nodded. “Exactly,” he agreed, setting the diagram on the pool table. “Ok…so…” he muttered, looking at the diagram. “1-C. So…rectangle…and it goes here, so…this is one…”

Jesse nodded and frowned. “Wait, wait,” he said. “Hold on, there’s one missing.” And he was right, they were still missing a scroll.

The others scattered to look around the room for the missing scroll while Alex and Jesse worked on the diagram with the scrolls that they _did _have, positioning the balls on the pool table with the help of a cue stick.

“Found it!” Gabbie announced and hurried back to the pool table with the final scroll.

Working together with Alex reading out the locations on the pool table and soon they had all the balls in their proper places. Moments later, a nearby box popped open, surprising them, and they hurried over to it.

Gabbie was the first to reach the box and she pulled out a key. “It’s another key.”

“Wait, what does it open?” Andrea wondered.

DeStorm pointed to the cabinet containing the pool cues. “Try right there.”

Gabbie goes to the pool cabinet and unlocked it with the key, where she searched inside it, and held up a glass jar. “Salt jar, but it’s empty.” And soon there was a debate about whether they could kill the vampires using the pool cues when the bell rang frantically, and they scattered to find hiding places again.

Unfortunately, Vera dashed into the room before Andrea could find a hiding place, and a short game of cat and mouse ensured with the female vampire chasing Andrea around the room until she managed to corner her.

“You smell nice! Come with me," Vera said with a menacing purr in her voice as she grabbed the girl’s arm, and began dragging her out of the room. "Come with _me, _sweetie…”

“You guys!” Andrea screamed as she was taken away. “You're just gonna let her take me?” And that was _exactly _what happen.

*****

Vera hauled Andrea out of the mansion, enjoying the fact that the girl was putting up a fight despite being unable to escape. “You’re _mine,_” she whispered into Andrea’s ear with a demented giggle. “I claimed you from the start. I have a knack for quality, my mother always said, and…I'll take it nice and slow, sweetheart. We are going to have _such _fun together.”

Andrea was half-expecting the female vampire to start feeding on her right away, but she was surprised when she was tied to a pillar right next to Lauren, who she was relieved to see was still alive…at least for the moment.

“Of course I can’t enjoy you yet,” Vera tsked. “Apparently it wouldn't be _fair _to the rest of my clan. We have to find _all _your little friends before I get a taste of you.” Shaking her head, she disappeared back into the mansion.

The moment she was gone, Andrea looked over at Lauren. “Are you ok?” she asked. “I thought you were dead.”

“No, apparently they can’t start feeding until everyone has been captured,” Lauren informed her friend. “At least that’s what I heard when the vampire that grabbed me argued with a second vampire. Apparently Dorian answers to someone else, probably whoever really owns this place since it clearly isn’t Joey.”

“It fits with what Alison said,” Andrea agreed. “The others are ok so far, and hopefully they can find the salt soon.”

“I hope so,” said Lauren. “The vampires did say something odd concerning Dawn, though.”

Andrea looked at her friend questioningly. “About Dawn? What did they say?”

“Apparently that she has some kind of Light inside her.”

“A Light?”

“Yeah.”

“That _is _odd.”

*****

Back in the upstairs room, the group was growing frustrated that two of their numbers had been taken by the vampires, bringing up the number of friends they would have to save up to five, and while they were hopeful that their missing friends were still alive, it didn’t help that they couldn’t know for sure until they found the salt that was _suppose _to be in the jar that Gabbie had found.

By this point, Jesse was now itching to shoot _something _with his gun. _‘__The bullets might not work on a vampire,’ _he thought, _‘but it would hurt them I expect. And they _deserve _to be shot for taking five of my friends.’ _He was pulled from his thoughts when DeStorm, who’d unscrewed the bottom from one of the pool cues, found that it had salt in it.

“Found it!”

Gabbie held out the jar. “Put it in! Put it in!”

Soon they were busy pulling out the remaining pool cues and unscrewing the bottoms, finding more salt, which they added to the jar until it was filled.

Just then, a vampire suddenly barged into the room through one of the windows, and they scattered, trying to avoid being captured while wondering why Alison hadn’t rung the bell to warn them like the last two times.

Artie tripped and went sprawling onto his back. He found himself staring up at the advancing vampire, which he realized had been the one that’d grabbed Dawn earlier, and just when he thought he was going to become vampire food, Alison burst into the room.

Soon the two vampires were going head-to-head while Artie scrambled for cover under the pool table as the two vampires engaged in a heated battle.

At one point, Alison judo-threw the vampire to the floor, and when she dove at him, he managed to get back on his feet quickly with a flip, and punched her. And when it looked like he was going to win, Alison suddenly wrapped an arm around his neck.

To the shock of the group, Alison ripped the vampire’s throat out with her teeth, and dropped his dead body on the floor.

“_Damn_, girl,” Jesse said, impressed as he came out from behind the curtain and the others also came out of hiding, staring at her.

Alison wiped some of the blood from her mouth. “Still don’t trust me?” she asked sarcastically.

*****

Back in the ballroom, they climbed onto the platform that held the throne, where Joey managed to retrieve both the book and the stake from the curtain, and on the stake was an inscription. “‘The only way past your guard is to impale him in the heart’.” He stared at Dawn and Liza with wide eyes. “We have to _murder _him.”

“We have to _kill _him?” Liza asked, pointing to the tall scary vampire on the other side of the glass. “Seriously?!”

“Oh boy,” Dawn said, sighing. “Now we’re gonna be vampire slayers. Where’s Buffy when you need her?”

Getting off the platform, they faced the doors that lead outside, and Liza looked at Joey questioningly since he was still holding the stake while Dawn was holding the book. “Are you into murdering?”

Joey nodded, a grim and determined expression on his face. “Let’s go for it.”

“You _do _got a lot to pay back for," Liza remarked as they headed for the doors. "They took a _lot _of your blood.”

_‘They took more then just my blood,’ _Joey thought angrily. _‘I might not remember everything, but after what they put me through this month, they’re going to _pay _for threatening my friends!’ _He was going to get his revenge and he was going to start with the one standing watch outside.

They opened the doors and Joey stepped outside with the stake at the ready. “Hey!” he shouted and the guard turned to face him as he thrust the stake forward…

To Be Continued…

*****

_I have so many, so many regrets._

_So many lies, so many broken ties._

_I wish for my old life._

_Wish I could fix my strike._

_Cause no one truly escapes the night._

_Oh, won't you help me escape the night._

_Oh baby help me escape the night._

_Escape the night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Joey be able to kill the vampire? Will the YouTubers be able to save those who have been taken? You'll have to find out tomorrow for the start of Episode 2.
> 
> Tune in at the same ETN time and the same ETN channel. Bye for now! R&R everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Man, Joey and Dawn just can't catch a break can they? Especially poor Joey. I will see you all tomorrow with the first chapter. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


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